Greenville, S.C. – Sophomore
Rachel Hawkins delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning in game one to help Furman to a 5-4 victory at a doubleheader split in non-conference softball action versus Bucknell Wednesday evening at Pepsi Stadium
Game 1: Furman 5, Bucknell 4
With game one tied at 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning, Bucknell's Sarah Zimmerman delivered a leadoff single and Barbara Jo Coppola reached on an error to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Furman starter
Kristyn Embler battled back to retire the next batter on a shallow flyout to right field before getting the following hitter to lineout to first base. On a 1-0 count, Embler induced a flyout to left field to strand bother runners in scoring position.
After
Sylvia Burroughs singled to open the bottom of the seventh, Embler grounded to shortstop but the throw to second sailed over the head of the second baseman covering the second base bag. Following a passed ball and a base on balls to
Katie Peeler, Hawkins lofted a sacrifice to deep center field to plate Burroughs with the winning run.
Embler, who held Bucknell to three earned runs on eight hits in a complete-game effort, earned the win to improve to 3-7 in the circle. The freshman from Harrisburg, N.C., walked two batters and struck out five in the victory.
Burroughs,
Kate Stoltzfus, and
Christina McCoy each registered two hits apiece to power Furman's nine-hit attack while Hawkins drove in two runs.
Avery Powers, who allowed an unearned run on one hit in 1.1 innings of relief suffered the loss for the Bison. Zimmerman and Shea Malone each notched two hits for Bucknell in game one.
Game 2: Bucknell 7, Furman 3
In the nightcap, Bucknell took a first-inning lead on Zimmerman's RBI double in the first and scratched across six runs in an error-filled top of the third to down the Paladins, 7-3.
Leading 1-0 after two innings, a four-pitch walk to the leadoff hitter in the third and one-out error set the table for the Bison. Brooke Popella followed with an RBI single to chase starter
Lily O'Bryan from the circle and Meadow Gambacurta laced an RBI single to left field that was misplayed allowing a second run to score. Addison Taft followed a dropped fly ball in center with a two-run single and Haley Speicher took advantage of another Furman miscue to bat in a run on a bases loaded hopper back to the circle.
Burroughs hammered a three-run homer to left field in the bottom of the fourth to get the Paladins on the board, but Furman stranded four runs over the final four innings. O'Bryan (1-4) took the loss after giving up four runs on four hits and four walks in seven innings of work.
Powers (2-9) bounced back from the game one loss to toss a complete game and earn the victory. She surrendered three runs on five hits in seven innings in the circle.
Taft went 2-for-4 at the plate and drove in a pair of runs for the Bison. Burroughs finished 2-for-3 with three RBI for the Paladins.
Furman (4-21) returns to action on Tuesday, March 18, when it hosts USC Upstate in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Pepsi Stadium.
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